Page 76 of Retrograde

And she looks so damn beautiful. And terrified. But beneath the brittle veneer of her fear, there lingers something else. Something scalding. Something formidable. Something dark, reaching out to intertwine with my own darkness.

Did she ... like what I did? Did she enjoy watching me break a man—a prior friend, no less—for what he wanted to do to her? Yes, yes, I can see it in her eyes.

She fucking revelled in it.

Pride erupts in my chest violently, threatening to split me open. I don’t even try to stop it anymore. It’s time I accepted that, for better or for worse, I can’t react to this girl in any sane way. It’s not like it means anything. I’m not forgetting who she is.

“Riley saved your life,” Corrado says, his jaw clenched. “Let us both go away. It’s only fair.”

“Full pardon for saving just one life? That’s a bit steep, don’t you think?” I take a step closer to him, and he retreats, dragging her with him. “You know what, Corrado?” I point my finger in his face. “I like you! I think you’re a good man.” I clap his shoulder, amused when he recoils from my touch. “But”—I square my shoulders, my features hardening as I speak—“if you don’t get out of my way right the fuck now so that I can collect my new pet, I’m going to kick your teeth down your throat. And then I’m going to cut your ear off. That one’s kind of a private joke—you wouldn’t get it.” I wink at Riley over his shoulder, and she whimpers. “No need for any of that, though. My new pet wants to come with me. Don’t you, Hotshot? Tell him.”

I try and fail to ignore the way my heart speeds up when she stays quiet.

“Fucking say it,” I growl, the implied “or else” unmistakable in my voice.

“It’s true. Let me go, Corrado. I want to come with him.”

“Well, of course she’d say that now!” Corrado protests, but I can hear the uncertainty in his voice—he knows her well enough to detect a ring of truth to her words.

“Tell him you want to come to my bed,” I urge her, a nasty, victorious grin distorting my face.

A blush spreads beneath her freckles, her gaze snapping up to mine. She’s pleading with me wordlessly to leave her be. Not a chance.

“You may as well say it,” I press on. “He’ll be able to tell if you’re lying anyway.”

Her eyes widen and then darken with anger. Corrado huffs.

“Say it.”

“You’re such an asshole,” she spits, bristling like an angry cat. “Get out of my way, Corrado.” She pushes past her thunderstruck friend and shoves my hand right off when I try to wrap it around her shoulders.

Just as I’d hoped.

She squeals when I throw her over my shoulder, pummelling my back with her fists.

“Oh come on, Hotshot.” I pinch her ass cheek—the sensitive flesh close to her pussy. “You know how this is going to go, so why⁠—”

My words die in my mouth when Alex approaches me, his shoulders hunched, expression wary. Bad news. Here we go again. Always bad fucking news.

He frowns, his eyes glued to Riley’s ass. She’s screeching, leaving scratch marks on my back that I can’t wait to see in the mirror later. Alex’s mouth goes slack when I start stroking and kneading Riley’s pussy over the fabric of her trousers.

“Hey, eyes on my face, asshole!”

“I—I w-wasn’t ...”

“Yeah, you were.”

A sweat bead rolls down his brow, and he swipes it off.

“What did you need?” I ask him. “I’m kind of busy right now.”

I slap Riley’s ass, hard, the sharp sound echoing throughout the courtyard. Alex’s gaze flickers to her, but he immediately tears it away, gulping. I bark out an unhinged laugh.

“Shit’s hit the fan while you were gone. We need to update you and come up with a plan.”

I keep patting and stroking Riley’s thighs, the contact keeping me anchored in the storm that’s been hanging over my head for years and is now finally breaking in thunder.

“Let me guess, that huge offensive is now approaching via the Magistrala.” My voice slices the air.